"Alright, alright, let me see what you've exchanged for."
Jean then told Shiraori about the three items she had exchanged.
"An 8-star monster? And it's a Stardust Dragon?" Shiraori appeared somewhat surprised.
"Uh, that's right."
"An 8-star power level, when converted, means annihilating a city in an instant is no problem at all, not to mention a race like the Stardust Dragon, which has such rich future expansion potential."
"It's that strong? But I don't really feel anything," Jean asked curiously.
"Hahaha, you'll need to learn about this slowly. You should know that dragonkind not only have long lifespans, but they also grow very slowly. It takes at least nearly a thousand years to reach adulthood and form combat capabilities."
"Nearly a thousand years!"
"But that's for natural dragons. You are only utilizing the Stardust Dragon's racial system through synchronization; you aren't actually turning into a dragon. This is a technology developed after that red-hat guy became the city representative."
After teasing Jean a little and getting the amusing expression she wanted, Shiraori continued to explain:
"Dragons grow slowly because their bloodlines are inscribed with all the knowledge they need for their entire lives. They don't have to do anything; they can just sleep and master these things—instincts. But we are different. Everything we possess is practiced through the paths we have walked. How much you gain and how fast you grow depends entirely on what you put in."
"I get it, dragons are just rich second-generation heirs!" No sooner had Jean finished speaking than she received a flick to the forehead from Shiraori.
"Although you're right, it somehow feels like a huge waste of sentiment."
"Hehe."
"I wasn't complimenting you. The instructions for these items have already been uploaded to your system; you can read them when you go back. By the way, try not to use this kind of public deep-scanning system. Usually, only lone wolves without any background use it. For the sake of confidentiality, other factions involved in building this world copy the data and use their own equipment."
"...?"
"You don't need to look at me like that. We don't need to worry about this equipment at all, because this machine and the entire system were built and maintained by 'D'. Although that evil god is usually unreliable in various ways, she is indeed very strong in this regard."
Watching Jean's amusing, ever-changing expressions, Shiraori confirmed that Jean's mental state was likely fine, and continued:
"Now it's time to move on to the next, more important thing!"
"More important thing?!"
"Let's go eat! To celebrate your safe return, I'm treating you to a big feast."
Already starving, Jean happily followed in Shiraori's footsteps toward the restaurant.
The restaurant was right inside this tower. After leaving the room and taking the elevator, it only took a few minutes to arrive.
Located in the middle section of the White Tower, the restaurant could be described as truly magnificent. Everywhere were luxurious materials that Jean couldn't recognize. Large tables were set up along the huge floor-to-ceiling windows of the hall, separated by partitions to form semi-open private rooms.
In the past, Jean had only seen scenes like this in videos on video websites with titles like "XX Ten-Thousand Yuan Gourmet Dishes, Taking You Closer to XX" or "Decoding the Only 3-Star Michelin Restaurant in XX."
Led by a waiter to the reserved seat, she could see the magnificent view of the entire city directly through the huge window beside her, and a sense of awe washed over her.
Since Shiraori had booked the meal in advance, the dishes started being served within a few minutes.
"This is the appetizer, Crystal Flower Jelly paired with Galaxy Nectar. Please enjoy."
The person serving the dish was a cute young girl wearing a pure white chef's uniform. Her golden hair was coiled under her hat, and her violet eyes revealed confidence.
Jean picked up a spoon and tasted a bite of the jelly. A refreshing flavor she had never experienced before filled her mouth—a perfect harmony of sweet and sour, a perfect balance of springy and smooth.
There were no other adjectives; only the word "delicious" escaped her lips.
"Your skills have improved, Erina-chan." Shiraori also offered praise.
Upon hearing the compliment, the young chef blushed and said, "That is still thanks to your help, Lady Shiraori."
"Don't worry about it. Being able to enter this kitchen was still due to your own ability."
Jean watched the two of them conversing curiously. At this moment, Shiraori began to introduce her: "This is the creator of this dish."
"I am Erina Nakiri, the apprentice head chef at this restaurant. Please treat me well."
"Ah, hello, I'm Jean. It's nice to meet you. The food is delicious."
"Thank you." After saying that, Erina bowed and left.
However, before she left, Jean felt that she had glared at her fiercely.
"Um, did I offend her somewhere? Besides, isn't she that Erina with the 'God Tongue'?"
"That's right, it's her. She lives in this city as a drifter. Although you didn't offend her, you are holding the thing she wants most."
"The thing she wants most?" Jean thought for a long time but couldn't figure out what she had that the other person wanted.
"By the way, didn't you notice? You activated Synesthesia while eating the dish."
Only then did Jean realize that although it was still the state of tasting the jelly, it was completely different from usual. All her senses were linked together, bringing a comprehensive, three-dimensional experience, and this sensation was very natural, without any feeling of discomfort.
"So this is Synesthesia. I didn't even notice just now. But what does this have to do with anything?"
"You know that Erina Nakiri is the possessor of the God Tongue. So, if she wants to take her God Tongue further, or if she wants more god-tier parts, what should she do?"
"Synesthesia!"
"That's right. By using Synesthesia to expand the strength of her God Tongue to her five senses, it would be equivalent to having a vision, a god's nose, a god's hand, and a god's ear all at once. For her personally, it's very cost-effective."
"I remember Synesthesia costs 10,000 points. Given her level, it shouldn't be hard to obtain, right?"
"Hahahaha." Hearing Jean's words, Shiraori suddenly laughed out loud: "You're talking about T-points. The currency used in this city is Reincarnation Points."
"Reincarnation Points?" This was the first time Jean had heard of them. All this time, Jean had assumed her points were the common points from the Reincarnation Space.
"1 T-point exchanges for 100 Reincarnation Points, and Reincarnation Points cannot be exchanged for T-points. A top-tier Reincarnator earns about 5,000 Reincarnation Points per trial. Hmm... at Erina's current salary level, it would probably take about 50 years to save enough. If you count exchanging for T-points on the black market, the time would even double."
"100 years is way too exaggerated."
"That's normal. They are drifters—people who were supposed to die in the cracks of the void. They either follow their original fate and die, or pay a greater price to live with difficulty."
-------------------------------
Hope you enjoy this fanfiction if you do and would like to read the next 50 chapters in advance, pls do check out my Patreon:
patreon.com/MariaLight
Also don't forget to give me a Power Stone if you do like this fiction. Your support really motivates me to continue doing my best in translating, Thanks!!